URI, Providence miss on a few recruits

It was a swing-and-miss day on the recruiting trail for both Providence College and the University of Rhode Island.

Kevin McNamara Journal Sports Writer kevinmcnamara33

It was a swing-and-miss day on the recruiting trail for both Providence College and the University of Rhode Island.

After narrowing their college choices to finalists that included some local options, both Abdul-Malik Abu and Jared Terrell chose to leave their Massachusetts roots behind. In a press conference before family and friends at the Reggie Lewis Center in Roxbury, Abu chose North Carolina State and Terrell picked Oklahoma State.

The two national top 100 prospects were teammates for the Expressions Elite AAU program and had at one time considered going to school together. Providence was the only school that both players considered, but sources close to both players insist PC was a finalist for the 6-foot-8 Abu, but not for Terrell. The 6-3 guard ended up choosing the Cowboys over URI.

Providence is looking for a big class of 2014 recruits and already has two Top 100 verbal commitments in 7-foot center Pascal Chukwu of Connecticut and 6-7 forward Jalen Lindsey of Nashville, Tenn. The Friars had put in an extensive amount of time with Abu, especially, and now will move on to other players they’ve chased for several months, including 6-8 Ben Bentil, a forward from Delaware who’s also looking at Georgetown and Miami (Fla.), among others.

Terrell told Scout.com that proximity to his family was not an issue for him. “I wasn’t too concerned about being close to home or far away. I was just looking for the best opportunity for me,” he said.

URI added seven newcomers to this year’s team, so coach Dan Hurley and his staff can afford to be picky with the 2014 class. The Rams have just one senior on the roster — shooting guard Xavier Munford — and are chasing several prospects for that slot.